How will those who attend fare? The Seven O’Clock Club

by Amelia Ireland

#TheSevenOClockClub #NetGalley

I was intrigued by this book as soon as I saw it. The circle of chairs on the cover gave a hint that it would be about a group as did the title. As someone with a social work background and as a facilitator of support groups, I was curious to see who the group was for, what the sessions would be like, and how Ireland’s story would unfold. I was not disappointed.

The novel opens with a witness transcript. This adds an element of immediate suspense. Why was it necessary to testify?

The story then moves to the four characters who are attending a unique bereavement group run by a therapist named Genevieve. She has the right credentials for the job. The members of this circle have varying degrees of motivation and their own unique stories.

Readers get to know Mischa, Freya, Callum and Victoria in book sections that are titled with stages of grief as, for example, denial. The grief of the four unfolds over the course of the book as do their relationships and interactions with each other.

The story had a feel of authenticity in that first session. Each member was asked, not to talk about their loss, but rather about a happy memory. This is the beginning of getting to know these characters and readers will indeed get to know them well.

Having been specially selected to be in this particular group, will the four get the help that they need or will other forces come into play? Have the four been selected for individual reasons or does something bind them together? Readers will have to pick this one up to find out.

I thought that this book was well written and intriguing. It would make a good book club pick.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 15 April 2025